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Turn the TV off

From
Peter Woolliams

I was appalled by the suggestion of leaving TVs in the US on standby, ready to be activated remotely in case of emergency (25 September, p 24). The article failed to pick up on the fact that this could only enhance the country’s position as the world’s biggest consumer of natural resources.

Domestic appliances such as TVs and videos still consume power while on standby, making them major wasters of electricity. The suggestion that all households should have a TV permanently on standby “just in case” seems likely to do major environmental harm.